Not Too Far Away
by CuriousityIsKillingMe
Summary: Merlin and Morgana meet at a summer festival when they were still kids. Fast forward ten years later, with help from a special someone, they meet up again. Problems arises and jealousy starts stirring. Modern AU. Mergana.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Merlin and Morgana meet at a summer festival when they were still kids. Fast forward ten years later, with help from a special someone, they meet up again. Problems arises and jealousy starts stirring. Modern AU. Mergana.

Disclaimer: I do not own BBC's Merlin. If I did, Merlin would've told Morgana he had magic during season 2 instead of her finding out the second to last episode when she was too far down to be saved.

(A/N): Hi! This is my second story that I'm making about Merlin and Morgana. My writing had gotten a bit better, but I still am struggling a bit so bare with me. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Merlin was sitting in the shadow of a nearby ferris wheel, sipping a coke while eating the rest of his popcorn alone. In his pocket was a bar of chocolate he was saving for later. Merlin wondered how he got to his current situation. Oh right, his goddamn uncle forced him to attend a stupid festival that he cared nothing about.

 _"It's just a festival!" he complained. "There's no big deal in it. You pay an admission fee which is like, 25 pounds! Then you also have to pay for rides and games which equals to another 25 pounds or more! And this isn't including the food!"_

 _"Merlin. You've been laying in that bed all week without doing anything. You should go out and have fun with the kids your age. Your parents brought you here for a reason. You never know, you may experience something that may change your life forever."_

And that was how Merlin got forced to attend the yearly summer-fest. He was extremely bored and the booming music coming from the main stage hurt his ears. He didn't see a point in coming. It was just amusement that you have to pay for.

That was what he thought until a girl came along. And that girl...Well she was crying. Merlin suddenly wanted to comfort her.

"Um...Are you okay?" he shyly asked. The girl looked up, emotions flashing in her eyes. Surprise, shock, anger, and then just sadness. She quickly turned around, her back facing Merlin. He just stared at her, amused of her reaction.

"Go away" she complained.

"Not until you tell me what's going on? Why are you crying? It's a festival! You're supposed to be happy, not sad." Merlin reasoned with her.

"Um...My dad said he had to go somewhere and left me all alone. I feel lost when I'm alone and I don't know what to do." she reluctantly admitted. "And what about you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm...You could say I'm getting fat." Merlin smiled, realizing that he just made her speak. The girl's cheek lifted up a bit. Just a bit more, Merlin thought. "Are you hungry? I got some popcorn and pop. I also have a bar of chocolate.

The girl quickly turned around, her eyes sparkling with speckles of tears drying up in her eyes. "Chocolate?" She eagerly replied.

"Yes, chocolate." Merlin chuckled, handing her a piece of chocolate. He then started analyzing the strange girl. She had a skin tone like his, green eyes, and tendrils of dark long hair. She in his eyes, was an Irish beauty.

"What's your name?" the strange girl asked him.

"My name is Merlin" he replied.

"Like the bird Merlin?"

"Um..Yeah...I think." Merlin didn't know what the heck a Merlin bird was, but he went along with it. "What's yours?"

"Morgana" she replied shyly.

"How old are you?" He asked her, curious about her age. She looked older than him, yet acted as young as him.

"Isn't it rude to ask a lady that question?"

"Sorry!" Merlin quickly replied, his face immediately looking the other way.

"Your ears are turning red!" Morgana giggled.

"Are not!" he pouted.

"Anyways, in case you were wondering, I'm 13" Morgana introduced. "You?"

"Er...12" Merlin was crestfallen. This girl wouldn't hang out with a person a year younger than her, would she?

"Wow. You look older than you really are." She replied, shock evident on her face.

"Um...thanks?" The two looked at each other awkwardly. Merlin expected her to say bye and walk away. He expected her to stare at him in disgust at how she conversed with a boy a year younger than her.

"Wanna do something? I know some great games here! Follow me!" Morgana smiled, grabbing his hand and leading him through the night.

* * *

The cell phone rang a total of three times. And Merlin ignored it, knowing who it was. The cell kept ringing, totaling seven times now. Merlin finally gave up and picked it up while muttering "bloody prat".

"Hello? Merlin where were you! I called like, fifty times!"

"What do you want now Arthur? I already fixed your car engine. That thing gave me a beating."

"I need you to do a very quick favor."

"I already did your grocery shopping clotpole."

"Pleeease," Arthur pleaded.

"Fine" Merlin resigned. "What do you need?"

"I need you to distract my sister. She's been trying to get Gwen a boyfriend by putting her up with blind dates. Drives me insane," Arthur complained.

"Is Arthur jealous?" Merlin teased.

"No I'm not!" Arthur retorted.

"Yeah, you are."

"Anyways, meet me at my house," Arthur said right before he hung up.

"Hello? Arthur? Bloody prat hung up on me." Merlin laughed, knowing that he won that one. He put away his phone and focused on a picture that he held dear to him.

A girl with green eyes, tendrils of black hair, and a huge smile was hugging him while he took a selfie with his Polaroid. They met at a festival and parted at a nearby beach. It was during a summer visit to his uncle, Gaius. She never told him where she lived or what her cell was. All he knew was her name, what she looked like, and the experiences she gave him. Merlin reluctantly placed the photo down with a longing look. Morgana was one of the best things that ever happened to him. She made him see the world around them and appreciate the life they had. And he would probably never see her again.

Merlin started walking towards his car, revving it up and driving to Arthur's. Arthur lived in his father's mansion which contained 10 guest beds that wasn't going to be used in a long time or even ever in fact. The mansion had a gigantic outside pool for parties and two separate houses. The first house contained a gym while the second was a reserved gaming room which contained a pool table, a table tennis court, and a gigantic television reserved for a rounds of Wii Sports and Super Mario Bros. Merlin then drove up to the closed gate that was guarded by two very buff police officers.

"Name?"

"Merlin Ambrosius"

"Age?"

"Twenty-two." The officer pressed the button to open the gate while informing Arthur who's coming in. And Arthur says why Merlin doesn't visit often. He then followed the road to a huge garage that contained many cars for the sake of creating a collection of vintage and sport cars. He parked his rusty truck near Arthur's Lamborghini Aventador J.

Merlin walked up to the door and immediately, it opened.

"Right this way, sir," a servant said as he led Merlin to game room.

"Merlin! She's not here right now, so just wait a bit." Arthur greeted as Merlin entered his room. "Oh and by the way, Gwen's here if you guys want to talk. I got to beat this bloody bastard. You could join if you want. I got more controllers."

"Thanks but no thanks. When's your sister arriving? I need to get to work soon." Merlin worked at the Forbaerne Cafe, famous for making their drinks with a special sauce that tastes like magic.

"She said she'd be here at about 3:20 (15:20) which is about...now." A knock was heard from the door. "And there she is."

Arthur opened the door to reveal a stunning Irish beauty with green eyes, tendrils of black hair, and a curious expression on her face.

"Merlin, meet Morgana, my sister."

* * *

(A/N): And that's a wrap! I hope you enjoyed this. I'm planning to update this weekly, probably during the weekend.

Anyways, please follow, favorite, or review if you liked it. It really supports and motivates me to write more.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own BBC's Merlin. If I had, I would've made it so Morgana would still be alive.

(A/N): Oy! Thank you for the reviews! I realized that some of my characters were a bit OOC. I'll try to fix that in later chapters. Anyways, enjoy! R&R!

* * *

"Merlin. Meet Morgana, my sister," Arthur introduced. "And Morgana, meet Merlin, my best mate." Arthur leaned closer to Morgana. "Play nice with him. God knows what you've done to the other people I've introduced to you," he spoke through his teeth. Morgana nodded distractedly, staring at Merlin with a strange expression. "You okay Morgana?" Arthur asked.

"Oh. Yeah. I'm good here," Morgana replied as she snapped back to the real world, a dazed look still evident on her face. "Nice to meet you...Merlin," she said slowly, trying to let the name familiarize with her again.

Merlin on the other hand had his jaw drop all the way to the floor. "I'm sorry Morgana" Arthur apologized. "Merlin here is usually a bit more _decent_." Arthur nudged Merlin to close his mouth. With a shake of his head, Merlin tried speaking, but no words came out. "And he's usually not this mute... Merlin, you okay?" Arthur asked with a worried frown plastered on his face.

"What? Oh.. Um yeah. Hi! I'm er, Merlin. You must be Morgana, the person I'm supposed to distract since Arthur want Gwen all to himse-" Arthur nudged Merlin, hard. "Hey! What's that for Arthur!" Merlin turned around, rubbing his arm as his face turning into a pout. "That hurt."

"You can't tell her the plan!" Arthur hissed at Merlin, ignoring the fact that Morgana was right next to them.

"I thought you already told her!" Merlin accused wide-eyed.

"We were supposed to distract her! If I tell her the plan, how are we distracting her? Use your brain clotpole!"

"Hey! That's my word!" Merlin then turned around to see Morgana giggling at the pair. Her hand was over her mouth, a simple gesture, but at the same time, it looked like she was an angel that came down from heaven just to taunt him of what he couldn't have.

"So...What do we do now?" Merlin asked as he glanced at Arthur.

"We go with the plan," Arthur replied, determined.

"Um, sorry to interrupt your mini-quarrel session, but what are you planning to do with Gwen? And how does it involve with me?" Morgana questioned, amused.

"Well...Arthur wanted me to distract you so he could finally ask Gwen out on a date." Merlin nonchalantly explained while Arthur had a face full of disbelief.

"Merlin _clearly_ doesn't know what he's talking about," Arthur sputtered. "Do you, _Mer_ lin?" Arthur gave Merlin a look saying "don't you dare."

"Er...No. I'm just a manservant serving Arthur _Prat_ dragon. How may I help you today? Distract Morgana? Splendid! Now out you go Arthur, no need to make Gwen wait for that future lovemaking session." Merlin shot back, a full fledged smirk on his face.

"So Merlin," Morgana giggled. She then looked up at Merlin through her eyelashes. "How are you planning to distract me exactly?" she said suggestively, making Merlin gulp and the tip of his ears red. Merlin gave Arthur a pleading look.

"Morgana. Play nice." Arthur reminded. Then, he patted Merlin's shoulder. "Well, I'm off. Wish me luck!" The door closed, leaving an awkward Merlin alone with an equally awkward Morgana. Merlin didn't know what to do. Should he remind her of the past? Should he just forget about it? Never in a million years had he thought that he would meet her again. And she was also the sister of his friend of 7 years!*

"So..." Merlin kept his gaze down to the floor, scared at what would happen if he would look up. _Does she still recognize me? Does she still consider me as a friend?_ For all he knew, strange emotions started stirring again. Strange emotions that only happened when she was around. Strange emotions that started at the night of the fair...

* * *

Screams of laughter surrounded the pair as they walked from booth to booth. "Merlin!" Morgana called out. "Can we at least play some games? We've been walking around for days!" Morgana complained.

"It's only been 5 minutes, milady." Merlin clarified. Morgana humphed and guided them to nearby booths. They reached an archery game, where the player would try to shoot the arrow to the bullseye. If you shoot outside the target, you get a small consolation prize. If you hit the outer rims, a medium prize and a grand prize for the bullseye.

"Merlin. Wanna try this?" Morgana asked as she nudged Merlin and pointed at the small booth.

"It has got to be rigged. I mean 2 pounds for only one shot to land an arrow on that miniature target? No thanks." Merlin pulled Morgana's hand and _was_ about to lead her to another booth but noticed that Morgana's feet was sternly secured to the ground. "C'mon Morgana. You don't want to waste your money, do you?"

"I'll do it. Look at that booth. No one's going to it.. We should at least try it out" Morgana reasoned. She gave him a pout with her eyes wide and pleading. Merlin wondered how she could pull it off so easily.

"Fine.." Merlin said reluctantly. He gave her a tiny smile and led her to the booth. "Two arrows please." The booth manager handed the pair two Nerf bow and arrows. Morgana went first. She positioned the bow and pulled the string. Then, she let go. It landed on the outer circle.

"Ha! Merlin, beat that!" Morgana exclaimed confidently, a little smirk playing on her face. Merlin on the other hand was already handing Morgana the second arrow.

"I don't think I can ever beat that," Merlin replied. "I'd mostly just shoot and miss the target by a kilometer." Merlin looked down, not wanting to let her see how much that piece of truth really hurt him.

"I know what you're doing," Morgana walked towards him and stood directly in front of him. "You're scared of taking the challenge," she accused. "Are you, Merlin?" she breathed. The hairs on the back of his neck went up. His breathing grew more erratic. And the way she looked at him, it was... He didn't know how to describe it. All he knew was: He didn't want to disappoint her.

"Never."

* * *

"Merlin? Are you there?" Merlin's cobalt eyes locked onto Morgana's green ones. A small smile crept onto Morgana's face. "You never do change do you?" Morgana bit her lip. "How have you been?"

Merlin didn't know what to say. So many questions about how's she been, where did she go all these years, what she did all these years. So, Merlin just simply asked, "Why haven't we met before?" Wait. "I mean," Merlin shook his head. "Aren't you Arthur's sister? How have we not met for the 7 years I've known him?" Morgana looked away.

"My father died," she whispered. "I was adopted into the Pendragon family just recently. I was with my sister in America for a while to mourn for my father."

Merlin regretted asking her. He would've replied, "I'm sorry Morgana. He was a good man," but that would've been wrong. He barely knew her father and he barely knew her anymore. Ten years can change a person. He'd witnessed it himself. So instead, Merlin opened his arms and hugged Morgana. They stayed liked that for minutes but it felt like hours. Then Merlin muttered, "Do you want to grab a drink? I have to get to work soon." Morgana smiled a bit, nodding her head in agreement.

They separated from each other and collected their things―Merlin going to the restroom to change into his uniform. They went into Merlin's truck and drove off to the cafe, but not before turning up the radio to an oddly familiar song.

* * *

(A/N): Woo! Another chapter done! It's a bit rough, I know. I tried finding a good part to end this chapter so that's why there's that abrupt end. For next chapter, I'm planning for a full flashback when they were still kids. I hope I did better than last chapter. I tried to fix some grammar mistakes, but it might've escaped my notice, so please tell me so I could reflect upon it and improve my writing style.

Just some a clarification:

* Merlin becomes friends with Arthur when he's 15. And this was just a random age, since 7 is the most magical number according to the Harry Potter wiki. But yeah, somewhere in their high school years. I was about to arrange Morgana to actually attend the high school as well, but realistically, even if she tried her hardest to avoid him, they would've met there since she was bound to meet Merlin at a certain point.

Reviews are my heaven. Even if it's negative, it always gives me that motivation to improve my writing skills. So, please review! I'll see you next chapter!


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